A historic KO capped off Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s return to California on Friday in the Main Event of BKFC Fight Night Pechanga at the sold-out Temecula Resort Casino in Temecula, CA.
The surging Ruben "Bad Boy" Warr needed just six seconds to take out Robbie “Problems” Peralta via jaw-dropping KO in their highly anticipated lightweight showdown. Warr, who represents Louisville, KY, is now 2-0, 1 NC in his blossoming BKFC career. The Escondido, CA lightweight Peralta, an eight-time UFC vet, is now 3-2 in the Squared Circle.
The six-second stoppage victory is good for the third fastest finish in BKFC history.
“You can run but you can’t hide,” Warr told the sold-out Temecula Resort Casino when asked for a statement to the rest of BKFC’s stacked lightweight division. “Line ‘em up, baby. I don’t care about the opponent. I sign my contract without looking at it. I don’t care. Let’s go.”
Friday’s event, like all BKFC events, aired LIVE globally on The BKFC App.
In Friday’s Co-Main Event, Fernando "The Menifee Maniac" Gonzalez upped his BKFC record to 1-1 with a hard-fought, unanimous decision victory over Rodney Thomas. Gonzalez, who hails from Menifee, CA, won the highly competitive light-heavyweight fight in the eyes of all three judges (49-46x2, 48-47). The Glendora, CA product Thomas showed tremendous toughness and potential in his Squared Circle debut, despite seeing his record fall to 0-1.
In Friday’s Feature Fight, Escondido, CA’s Victor “The Art of Violence” Rosas edged out Luis "El Leon Mexicano" Iniguez of Victorville, CA for the split-decision victory in their hotly contested bantamweight battle. Rosas was given the nod by two judges (49-46, 48-47) as he improves to 1-1 in his BKFC career, while the debuting Iniguez was victorious in the eyes of one judge, who scored the bout 48-47.
Washington, DC middleweight Jordan "Hayes Haymaker" Christensen overcame a knockdown in the opening round before his bout with Los Angeles’ Riley Pellegrino was called to a stop at the conclusion of the second stanza, with Christensen winning via TKO. With the victory, he ups his BKFC record to 3-4. Pellegrino is now 0-1.
San Diego, CA’s Luis "El Hefe" Villasenor dropped Brett “Da Beast” Fields of Chicago Heights, IL three times en route to the first-round KO in middleweight action. Time of the stoppage was 71 seconds into the opening frame. Villasenor is now 1-1 with BKFC, while Fields falls to 1-2.
Temecula, CA’s Alexander "Prince" Gutierrez defeated Zay "Zaybomination" Garcia of Lubbock, TX via unanimous decision in their battle of debuting flyweight prospects. Two judges scored it 49-46 and one had it 50-45, all in favor of Gutierrez.
Debuting Pala, CA product Squire "Kupa King" Redfern overcame a knockdown and an eye poke to stop Richard "The Big Bad Wolf" Brooks of Los Angeles in the fifth round of their back-and-forth lightweight battle. The TKO victory was registered 53 seconds into the fifth round. Brooks is now 0-2 under the BKFC banner.
Kettering, OH featherweight Van "Tactic" Vo needed just 57 seconds to score his first BKFC victory with a first-round KO over Manchester, CT’s Dan "The Tower Dog" Pettit. Vo upped his BKFC record to 1-3 with the win; Pettit is now 1-2.
Broward County, FL’s Joe "The Punisher" White earned his first BKFC victory by stopping Valley Center, CA’s Caleb “Panda” Avila in the third round of their heavyweight showdown. Time of the knockout was 1:04. White is now 1-1, while Avila drops to 0-1.
In the opening bout of the night, debuting Anaheim fighter Mike "Mighty Mouse" Hansen picked himself up off the canvas and rallied for the first-round TKO victory over Anthony "The Devil's Advocate" Yost in their bantamweight matchup. Time of the stoppage was 1:46. Yost, who hails from Pensacola, FL, is now 0-2 in his bare knuckle career.
BKFC Fight Night Pechanga Results
Ruben Warr def. Robbie Peralta via KO in Round 1 (0:06)
Fernando Gonzalez def. Rodney Thomas via Unanimous Decision (49-46x2, 48-47)
Victor Rosas def. Luis Iniguez via Split Decision (47-48, 49-46, 48-47)
Jordan Christensen def. Riley Pellegrino via TKO in Round 2 (2:00)
Luis Villasenor def. Brett Fields via KO in Round 1 (1:11)
Alexander Gutierrez def. Zay Garcia via Unanimous Decision (49-46x2, 50-45)
Squire Redfern def. Richard Brooks via TKO in Round 5 (0:53)
Van Vo def. Dan Pettit via KO in Round 1 (0:57)
Joe White def. Caleb Avila via KO in Round 3 (1:04)
Mike Hansen def. Anthony Yost via TKO in Round 1 (1:46)
